Timiryazev. State Biological Museum named after

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State Biological Museum named after. K.A. Timiryazev is a comprehensive natural science museum, founded in 1922 on the basis of the Museum of Wildlife of the Moscow City People's University. A.L. Shanyavsky.

The museum runs a weekly program “Family in the Museum,” addressed to both parents with children and a wide range of visitors of all ages. The program includes a variety of activities

The main feature of the program is that it is based on the contact and action of visitors with the museum object, on the confidential dialogue of the museum teacher with each child and on the joint work of the child and adult family members, as well as its variability (the set of activities changes every week) and combining traditional activities (Family Labyrinth) with new unexpected events.

Opening hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday - from 10:00 to 18:00;
Thursday – from 12:00 to 21:00;
Sunday – from 11:00 to 18:00.
Closed: Monday and last Tuesday of the month.
Ticket sales stop 30 minutes before the museum closes.

Ticket prices:

adult - 220 rubles;
students, schoolchildren, parents with many children - 110 rubles.
Children under 7 years old - free.

On days when environmental programs and commercial exhibitions are held in the museum's exhibition halls, the price of admission varies.

I would like to tell you a little about one of the most beautiful corners of our city. In the Central Administrative District of Moscow, between Krasnaya Presnya Street and Presnensky Val Street (named after the small Presnya River - the left tributary of the Moscow River - flowing in the center of the city and since 1908 completely enclosed in a collector) is Malaya Gruzinskaya Street.
The attention of Muscovites and guests of the capital is often attracted by one unusual building - the Timiryazev Museum.
The history of Malaya Gruzinskaya Street begins in the 17th century. In 1680, the palace village of Voskresenskoye was founded, which in 1729 was granted to the Georgian king Vakhtang Levanovich, who was in exile in Moscow. The king settled in this area with his large retinue. Hence the names - Georgian Square, streets. By 1826, almost all the households passed into the hands of Russian officials and townspeople, although Georgians also continued to live there. In the 1870s, industrialization of the area began and factories appeared. At the same time - 1890s-1890s - the future Timiryazev Museum appears here. At that time, this area was still a city outskirts, and not the historical center as it is now. In the 1970s, the territory began to be actively built up with standard buildings.
Until the beginning of the 20th century, the Timiryazev Museum was the Museum of Russian Antiquities. Its creator, Pyotr Ivanovich Shchukin, came from a merchant family and collected art objects. The complex was built in pseudo-Russian style - "terem" roofs, tiles; it consists of several buildings: the first was erected in 1892–1893 in the spirit of Yaroslavl architecture, the second building was built in 1896–1898, the construction of which is associated with the rapid growth of the museum collection. Both buildings were connected by an underground tunnel. The one-story building for the museum warehouse and archive was created in 1905. All three buildings were created by different architects, but are harmoniously combined with each other.
In 1905, Shchukin donated his unique collection of art objects and buildings to the Historical Museum. After his death in 1912, the Museum was closed, and the exhibits were transported to the Historical Museum.
After the revolution, for some time the building housed the funds of the Museum of Old Moscow, then there was the Museum of the Central Industrial Region. Since 1928 it has been converted into a student dormitory. However, at the request of M. Gorky in 1934, the complex was transferred to the Biological Museum. Timiryazev.

Sources

In 1729, local lands, which included the current property at 15 Malaya Gruzinskaya Street, were donated to the exiled Georgian king Vakhtang Levanovich.

Soon after the purchase, the new owner began construction of the mansion, which took on the shape of a neo-Russian style and was completed at the end of the 19th century. At that time, eclecticism “ruled the show” in Russian architecture, and rich people considered it good taste to erect residential buildings to match the ancient Russian towers.

It is worth noting that Pyotr Ivanovich was a passionate collector of Russian antiquities. In addition, his collection was replenished with objects from other parts of the world: European etchings, icons, photographs, books, works of French impressionists and even oriental fabrics. The collection also included archival documents, ancient weapons, household items and much more.

Shchukin carefully approached the design of the house, making adjustments to the work of the architect. Together they studied all kinds of patterns of ancient Russian architecture and even went to the city of Yaroslavl to get acquainted with the local architecture. This was not accidental, because... the owner considered his house, first of all, as a repository for his rich collection.

Ultimately, the project already at the creation stage became very popular and attracted the attention of even the Russian Emperor Alexander III.

The construction of the “Moscow Tower” was completed in 1893. The very appearance of the two-story mansion with hipped roofs and original kokoshniks, decorated with glazed tiles, as well as the decoration of the interior, including even the door handles, were carefully and quite accurately copied from the best examples of details of the 17th century.

However, there were some exceptions. Thus, the ancient Russian tradition of building houses made of wood had to be abandoned due to Shchukin’s fear of fires, and therefore the walls were raised from different types of bricks.

The collection of Peter Ivanovich at Malaya Gruzinskaya, 15 expanded every year, and it quickly became cramped in the newly built house. Based on the emerging needs, the collector decides to build a new tower nearby. The work was commissioned from an architect.

Unlike the previous house, the new building was erected in a more relaxed form and in a free interpretation of the Russian theme that Shchukin loved. It received the name “New Museum”, and an underground tunnel was dug to communicate with the old building. The work was completed in 1898.

Another building, this time by the architect Fyodor Nikitich Kolbe, appeared on the estate in 1905. It was small in size and intended for storing documents.